Is House M.D. a benefit or hindrance where public perception of Atheism is concerned?

HeyZeusCreaseToe
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Is House M.D. a benefit or hindrance where public perception of Atheism is concerned?

 

Hugh Laurie and David Shore are atheists who have definitely created a compelling and multifaceted, atypical protagonist whose atheistic leanings and contempt for faith, superstition, and irrationality are featured prominently in the show House M.D.. That being said, I am not saying there is such a thing as a typical atheist per se, or that atheism is anything close to a religion that always needs flattering personalities to portray its "good side." I was just wondering what people thought about one of the few, self acknowledged atheist characters of which non-faith provides for a significant amount of plot development.

Is House M.D. (fictional character) a benefit or hindrance where public perception of Atheism is concerned?

Here are a few related takes on the role of faith in the show

http://epiphany-sorbet.newsvine.com/_news/2007/10/11/1017898-gregory-house-md-tvs-primetime-atheist

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/11/12/111004.php

 

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


Renee Obsidianwords
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I will check out those links

I will check out those links for sure.

I know several people, friends and family, that look at doctors as "gods" of sorts. They MUST be smart, they MUST be of good character...With that being said I wonder how a christian views the possibility that a doctor could be atheist!

My guess is that it is both a hindrance and a benefit as it makes atheists seem like cocky pricks but also makes it clear that an atheist can be ANYONE you meet....

Slowly building a blog at ~

http://obsidianwords.wordpress.com/


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I've not seen the show: As I

I've not seen the show: As I figure it, so long as it's not a demonization of atheists (and the articles suggest the House character is no demonization) it's good for us. We don't have to show up as "the good guys", we just have to be there, out where we're seen on a regular basis - become part of the "norm".

So long as any group is some shadowy "them", folks will believe whatever they hear about that group. If they see examples of that group regularly, it's far harder to demonize the group.

"Anyone can repress a woman, but you need 'dictated' scriptures to feel you're really right in repressing her. In the same way, homophobes thrive everywhere. But you must feel you've got scripture on your side to come up with the tedious 'Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve' style arguments instead of just recognising that some people are different." - Douglas Murray


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JillSwift wrote:I've not

JillSwift wrote:

I've not seen the show: As I figure it, so long as it's not a demonization of atheists (and the articles suggest the House character is no demonization) it's good for us. We don't have to show up as "the good guys", we just have to be there, out where we're seen on a regular basis - become part of the "norm".

So long as any group is some shadowy "them", folks will believe whatever they hear about that group. If they see examples of that group regularly, it's far harder to demonize the group.

 

True, I think that is the key, visibility, as people just living their lives. I think it can do what MTV did for gay people with shows like the real world(the first real world) in its deconstruction of stereotypes. Perhaps bigots and those unfamiliar with that part of humanity might realize their naive perceptions and preconceived notions might not actually constitute reality.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


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Renee Obsidianwords wrote:My

Renee Obsidianwords wrote:

My guess is that it is both a hindrance and a benefit as it makes atheists seem like cocky pricks but also makes it clear that an atheist can be ANYONE you meet....

I know a few cocky pricks that happen to be atheists and a lot more that happen to be Christian. I agree, cocky pricks, Christians, and atheists can be anyone you meet.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


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House it most definately an

House it most definately an asshole, but his contempt for bullshit is definately admirable.
I mean, sometimes his sarcasm is unnecessary, but sometimes it makes the point.
Like that mother who said she'd kept her child away from innoculations because of the 'health risks'.
She needed to be told that the experts who were recommending these injections clearly understood the risks and recognised that they aren't half as bad as the risk of dying from measles or something.


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OMG I LOVEEEE HOUSE!! The

OMG I LOVEEEE HOUSE!!

The way I see the show is that all the characters (but of course, most notably House) say what is on their minds - and rather bluntly, at that. In a real professional setting, we would perhaps be more cautious or selective in word-choice because we are trying to preserve relationships and avoid burning bridges; but on the show, the characters are not afraid to speak their own opinions.

I think this carries over into the subject of atheism, because I would guess that many of us here at RRS are forced to conduct ourselves in a similar manner. We accept or go along with the beliefs of others, and avoid saying anything negative about someone's religious beliefs, because we want to avoid family rifts and workplace tensions, and we are afraid of closing doors. But all the while our heads are screaming, "This is BS!"

Now House is not about religion, and I don't think it was intended to act as a metaphor for religion. But certainly the parallel is there; it sort of portrays what could happen if we just let loose and pointed out the faults in the doctrines of others. The thing is, despite House's abruptness with his coworkers and patients, the hospital is a better place because of it; and maybe similarly, the world could be a better place if atheists were to act the same. I've probably zoomed too far out with the macro-lens there, but it is interesting food for thought.

I think House is a good representation of atheists. (I'd like to go off on a tangent for a moment, though, and note that House never actually admits to the fact that he is an atheist - at least from what i remember - though his personal philosophy and the way he conducts himself seem to make it clear. I think maybe the writers avoided explicitly stating the fact, because they didn't want his atheism to become the central point of the show?) He is someone who is guided by knowledge, as well as logical and rational thought, when diagnosing and treating patients. There are no miracle cures - just application of logic and current knowledge. I think his thought process can serve as a model for all of us, because there is always a correct answer, and it doesn't take pandering to gods to reach it. 
 


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Favorite show all time.And

Favorite show all time.

And anyone who bases their perception of atheism based on a fictional character has some serious flaws in their logic anyway.


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Tiktaalik wrote:Favorite

Tiktaalik wrote:
Favorite show all time.

And anyone who bases their perception of atheism based on a fictional character has some serious flaws in their logic anyway.

Well... therein lies the cause to wonder, yes? =^_^=

"Anyone can repress a woman, but you need 'dictated' scriptures to feel you're really right in repressing her. In the same way, homophobes thrive everywhere. But you must feel you've got scripture on your side to come up with the tedious 'Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve' style arguments instead of just recognising that some people are different." - Douglas Murray


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Right on!

greek goddess wrote:

OMG I LOVEEEE HOUSE!!

The way I see the show is that all the characters (but of course, most notably House) say what is on their minds - and rather bluntly, at that. In a real professional setting, we would perhaps be more cautious or selective in word-choice because we are trying to preserve relationships and avoid burning bridges; but on the show, the characters are not afraid to speak their own opinions.

I think this carries over into the subject of atheism, because I would guess that many of us here at RRS are forced to conduct ourselves in a similar manner. We accept or go along with the beliefs of others, and avoid saying anything negative about someone's religious beliefs, because we want to avoid family rifts and workplace tensions, and we are afraid of closing doors. But all the while our heads are screaming, "This is BS!"

Now House is not about religion, and I don't think it was intended to act as a metaphor for religion. But certainly the parallel is there; it sort of portrays what could happen if we just let loose and pointed out the faults in the doctrines of others. The thing is, despite House's abruptness with his coworkers and patients, the hospital is a better place because of it; and maybe similarly, the world could be a better place if atheists were to act the same. I've probably zoomed too far out with the macro-lens there, but it is interesting food for thought.

I think House is a good representation of atheists. (I'd like to go off on a tangent for a moment, though, and note that House never actually admits to the fact that he is an atheist - at least from what i remember - though his personal philosophy and the way he conducts himself seem to make it clear. I think maybe the writers avoided explicitly stating the fact, because they didn't want his atheism to become the central point of the show?) He is someone who is guided by knowledge, as well as logical and rational thought, when diagnosing and treating patients. There are no miracle cures - just application of logic and current knowledge. I think his thought process can serve as a model for all of us, because there is always a correct answer, and it doesn't take pandering to gods to reach it. 
 

I agree with almost all of what you said.

 

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


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I love the show and I adore

I love the show and I adore his sarcasm.  It makes people think... and by people I mean both the patients (actors) and the audience. 

I would disagree with the second articles insinuation that he's agnostic though... although I personally think that 'being an atheist requires faith' line to be a load of crap.


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greek goddess wrote:OMG I

greek goddess wrote:

OMG I LOVEEEE HOUSE!!

The way I see the show is that all the characters (but of course, most notably House) say what is on their minds - and rather bluntly, at that. In a real professional setting, we would perhaps be more cautious or selective in word-choice because we are trying to preserve relationships and avoid burning bridges; but on the show, the characters are not afraid to speak their own opinions.

I think this carries over into the subject of atheism, because I would guess that many of us here at RRS are forced to conduct ourselves in a similar manner. We accept or go along with the beliefs of others, and avoid saying anything negative about someone's religious beliefs, because we want to avoid family rifts and workplace tensions, and we are afraid of closing doors. But all the while our heads are screaming, "This is BS!"

Now House is not about religion, and I don't think it was intended to act as a metaphor for religion. But certainly the parallel is there; it sort of portrays what could happen if we just let loose and pointed out the faults in the doctrines of others. The thing is, despite House's abruptness with his coworkers and patients, the hospital is a better place because of it; and maybe similarly, the world could be a better place if atheists were to act the same. I've probably zoomed too far out with the macro-lens there, but it is interesting food for thought.

I think House is a good representation of atheists. (I'd like to go off on a tangent for a moment, though, and note that House never actually admits to the fact that he is an atheist - at least from what i remember - though his personal philosophy and the way he conducts himself seem to make it clear. I think maybe the writers avoided explicitly stating the fact, because they didn't want his atheism to become the central point of the show?) He is someone who is guided by knowledge, as well as logical and rational thought, when diagnosing and treating patients. There are no miracle cures - just application of logic and current knowledge. I think his thought process can serve as a model for all of us, because there is always a correct answer, and it doesn't take pandering to gods to reach it. 
 

Actually I'm pretty sure he does admit to be atheist or agnostic, during the second season I believe, one of his patients is this Christian kid who believes that he's having visions of god, later on they found out that he has a brain tumor and somewhere along that episode House gets into a conversation about religion.


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fluffz wrote:Actually I'm

fluffz wrote:

Actually I'm pretty sure he does admit to be atheist or agnostic, during the second season I believe, one of his patients is this Christian kid who believes that he's having visions of god, later on they found out that he has a brain tumor and somewhere along that episode House gets into a conversation about religion.

I am not sure if he has said, "I am an Atheist" but he has most assuredly demonstrated his feelings on irrationality, the irrationality of religion, and how preposterous the notion of a personal God is. Here are a few of the quotes taken from these articles I listed in the OP.

Some of House's quotes from various shows:

If you talk to God you're religious. If God talks to you, you're psychotic.

You can have all the faith you want in spirits, and the afterlife, and heaven and hell, but when it comes to this world, don't be an idiot. Cause you can tell me you put your faith in God to put you through the day, but when it comes time to cross the road, I know you look both ways.

She has God inside her. It would have been easier to deal with a tumor.

Dr. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison): Do you have to be religious to believe a fetus is a life?
House MD (Hugh Laurie): There seems to be a correlation.

Are you ... comparing me to God? I mean, that's great, but just so you know, I've never made a tree.

So, you're a faith healer. Or is that a pejorative? Do you prefer something like "divine health management"?

Isn't it interesting... religious behavior is so close to being crazy that we can't tell them apart.

 

While pondering the ecstasy of his "97 Seconds" clinic patient who wanted to briefly die again for another taste of the afterlife, House faced the calm of his paralyzed patient welcoming death as a release from his restricted, painful life. "Don't be an idiot. There is no after, there's just this," was House's coldly rational response.

Wilson: You can't let a dying man take solace in his beliefs?
House: His beliefs are stupid. ... He shouldn't be making a decision based on a lie. Misery is better than nothing.
Wilson: You don't know there's nothing. You haven't been there.
House: Oh god, I'm tired of that argument. I don't have to go to Detroit to know that it smells.
Wilson: Yes, Detroit, the afterlife, same thing.
After unintentionally goading his friend into a pseudo-empirical test, Wilson was distraught at what that reveals about House's state of mind. "Maybe you didn't want to die, but you didn't care if you lived," he chastised. That line echoes the season two finale "No Reason," written by David Shore and Lawrence Kaplow:
Moriarty: You don’t care whether you live or die?
House: I care because I live. I can’t care if I’m dead.

He ranted about our tendency to fill ignorance with religion and resist rational argument:
"You know, I get it if people were just looking for a way to fill the holes. But they want the holes. They want to live in the holes, and they go nuts when someone else pours dirt in their holes. Climb out of your holes, people!"
Or, as he put it less dramatically this season in Egan and Leonard Dick's "The Right Stuff": "Rational arguments don't usually work on religious people. Otherwise there would be no religious people."

 

Wilson questions whether the visions House had while clinically dead were real.

House: Define real. They were real experiences. What they meant? Personally, I choose to believe that the white light people sometimes see, the visions this patient saw, they’re all just chemical reactions that take place when the brain shuts down.

Foreman: You choose to believe that?

House: There’s no conclusive science. My choice has no practical relevance to my life. I choose the outcome I find more comforting.

Cameron: You find it more comforting to believe that this is it?

House: I find it more comforting to believe that this isn’t simply a test.

 

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


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HeyZeusCreaseToe wrote:Isn't

HeyZeusCreaseToe wrote:

Isn't it interesting... religious behavior is so close to being crazy that we can't tell them apart.

I love this quote. Laughing out loud